Surviving a Suicide Attempt: 12 Lessons on Healing, Hope, and Holding On

3. A Diagnosis Can Offer Relief — and Clarity

Jeannine admitted:

I still squabble with the diagnosis, but lately when I was reading what my diagnosis is, I have to say I laughed. I said, “Oh, this is so me. Girlfriend, just go ahead and claim this because this is so you.” So yes, in 2003, I was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder. And I say that proudly.

Helpful takeaway: A diagnosis doesn’t define you, but it can provide context and a path forward.

4. You Are Not Your Diagnosis

As Jeannine powerfully stated:

I am not Bipolar Disorder. I am not crazy. I’ve been diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder. So I think sometimes we have to learn to realize that we are who we are as individuals and then we have this diagnosis. A person who has cancer or a person that has kidney disease, we don’t tell them you are cancer. You are kidney disease. When you have a mental illness, you hear, “You are crazy.” “You’re schizophrenic.” Why do we do that to people? We’re still people. We’re still wonderful, beautiful people. And we just may have a little something that’s just different about us.

Mental illness is something a person experiences, not their identity. It’s no different than saying someone has cancer — not is cancer.

Say this instead: “I live with depression,” not “I am depressed.”

5. Suicidal Thoughts Are Often a Desire to End Pain, Not Life

Jeannine reflected:

You don’t want to die. You just want that pain to stop. You don’t wanna die. Wait! Pick up the phone, call someone. You just wanna stop hurting. The pain sometimes is so paralyzing that you don’t want to feel it. But if you wait and just pick up the phone and call someone and tell someone what you’re feeling, you will be really happy that you have not did that attempt — I’m glad I survived. You really don’t [want to die], you really just want to stop hurting.

Depression often warps thinking so thoroughly that suicide seems like the only escape. But it’s the pain, not life itself, that people want to end.

Important note: If someone is talking about suicide, they may be seeking relief. Help them find it safely.

6. Survivor, Not Failure

Jeannine said:

I’m glad I failed [my suicide attempt].

As Terry eloquently put it:

No, you’re glad you survived.

Jeannine affirmed:

I’m glad I survived. Thank you. Because I consider myself a survivor.

Use empowering language: The term “attempt survivor” honors strength, not shame.

7. Listen to the Voice That Tells You to Try Again

Jeannine described how, in the immediate aftermath of her suicide attempt:

Out of nowhere, I heard a whisper: ‘Jeannine, get up.’ … Panic and defeat fought within me. But something in that call gave me courage to try.

That voice may be your inner resilience or something spiritual. Either way, listen to it.

Even if you’re crawling to the door, it still counts as moving forward.

8. Your Life Still Has Purpose

Jeannine shared:

If I hadn’t woke up, I never would have had my beautiful daughter. I never would have accomplished all the great things in my life.

She added:

If you Google my name today, you will find a world that never could have happened if I had been found 15 minutes later.

Lesson: Don’t let depression convince you that your story is over.

9. Depression Lies About Your Worth

As Dr. Anita Sanz explained:

Depression just disconnects you from your sense of worth. And once that happens, it’s so difficult to imagine a life that you deserve living.

Feeling unworthy of love, attention, or even medical care is a common trap.

Counter the lie: Ask yourself, “What would I try to get for myself if I believed I was worthy of having it?”

10. Help Is Available — and You Deserve It

Jeannine urged:

You will be really happy that you have not did that attempt. I’m glad I survived. You don’t want to die. Wait! Pick up the phone, call someone.

As Dr. Anita Sanz encouraged:

Call 988. You do not have to be in crisis to call. But it can really, really help to talk to someone.

Call 988 in the U.S. or find a local crisis line in your country. Don’t wait until it feels unbearable.

11. If One Person Doesn’t Help, Call Again

Terry advised:

If you are thinking, ‘I’ve called before and it wasn’t a good experience,’ next time, hang up and just redial until you get someone you do feel a connection to.

Just like finding a good therapist or doctor, finding the right voice on a crisis line might take more than one try. But it’s worth it.

Persistence can be life-saving.

12. Your Future Can Still Be Bright

Jeannine concluded:

I continue to hear this voice during the most difficult times in my life. I hear that call as the voice of God reminding me to get to the door and open it, because on the other side there is a bright light filled with many more amazing opportunities.

Even in our darkest hours, the door to healing is still there. And behind it may be a life full of music, motherhood, meaning, and more.

Final Thoughts

Jeannine’s story is a vivid reminder that survival is possible — and that life on the other side of a crisis can be full of unexpected beauty. Her courage in sharing the depths of her pain, her suicide attempt, and her eventual healing offers a path forward for anyone who feels overwhelmed by darkness. Recovery isn’t instant or linear, but it begins with honesty, connection, and the willingness to reach for the door, even when it feels impossibly far away.

Through the compassionate guidance of Terry and Dr. Sanz, and Jeannine’s own words, this episode of Giving Voice to Depression delivers not only a powerful testimony of survival but also actionable encouragement to anyone struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts.

Key Takeaways

• Depression often hides behind a smile — outward happiness can mask deep internal pain.
• Stigma silences people — we must create space for open, judgment-free conversations.
• A diagnosis can be validating — it offers language for what someone has long experienced.
• You are not your illness — you have depression, you are not depression.
• Suicidal thoughts are often about ending pain, not life itself.
• Surviving a suicide attempt is not failure — it’s survival.
• Listen for the inner or outer voice urging you to try again.
• Life after survival can hold unexpected gifts: children, careers, creativity.
• Worthlessness is a lie depression tells. You are worth help.
• 988 and other lifelines are here for you — and you deserve their support.
• If the first call doesn’t help, make another. Connection is worth seeking.
• The future is unwritten — and yours may be filled with light.